Corrugated structural unit



Filed Nov. 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Shgetl INVENTOR ALEXANDER WFEASEE March 26, 1935. A. w. FRASER CORRUGATED STRUCTURAL UNIT 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Nov. 28, 1933 INVENTOR ALEXANDER W FRASER WWWEATTQNE EYE Patented Mar. 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 1,996,004 CORRUGATED s'raUorUaAr.

Alexander W. Fraser,

assignor to National Limited, Hamilton, poration oi Canada Application November 28 18 Claims.

The inventionrel ructural Corrugated metal car own are provided with ing and horizontally ext resist bending strains directed horizontally against the car ends by shifting of the lading and to resist buckling effects from this and from other causes. With all known forms of the corrugated car ends it is possible to draw a line, usually a straight line, in one or more directions across the corrugated reinforced area and which line, or lines, will form axis of bends about which the reinforced area will buckle with resulting deformation of the car end or other structural unit subjected to bending strain while in use.

Accordingly, the primary object of the-invention is to provide a corrugated sheet metal unit or other structural part in which the corrugations are so arranged that they will resist bending strain irrespective of how imposed, or, diflerently expressed, the invention features a corrugated reinforced structure which will eliminate any and all axis of bend and which bends are now possible with known car end structures.

Broadly, this object is attained by corrugating the panel or plate or a portion thereof with two sets of parallel corrugations; vwith the corrugations of one set intersecting the corrugations of the other set to form a checkerboard design, but distinguishing from known structures in thatthe trough or channel of each corrugation of one set extends continuously across the troughs of the ends of the type now both vertically extendending corrugations to have its own beam eflect without regard to any other corrugation.

In its specific application to a car end or car area and overlap the so as not to interfere with the straight continuity of the trough or channel of the girder forming corrugation. 1

Another object of the invention particularly in connection with its application to a car end is to provide a disposition of corrugations which in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,

Steel Car Corporation,

Canada, a cor- 1933, Serial No. 700,098

(c1. lac-'85) their relative sizes, configurations, avoidance of sharp angles and in the correlation of the corrugations will provide for maximum beam eflects localized in those places where the distorting strains to be resisted are maximum and at the same time maintaining the largest possible areas; in their original flat uncorrugated form thereby to m I those structural changes in the sheet metal which take place when such metal is subjected to distortion to form the corrugations.

Accordingly in the form of the invention herein selected for illustration,'the girder. forming corrugations are relatively wider than the post forming corrugations; both corrugations are formed with flat crown portions and at their points of intersection the post forming corrugations projecting beyond the flat crown portion oi the girder forming corrugation.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of structure embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel featurespf construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth andclaimed. Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of the lower right hand half of a car end constituting aembodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view constituting a detailed showing of one of the posts in its relation to a pair of adjacent girders;

preferred Figs. 3 and 4 are each horizontal sectional views taken respectivel Fig. 1;, v

Fig; 5 is a vertical construction shown in side of the figure; and 7 Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical sectional views taken respectively on the lines'6-6 and 7-7 of Fig. 1.

The sh'owing illustrated is the right hall 01' a single plate of which the left half is of similar design so that it is to be understood that the left half portion corresponds to'the illustrated portion except for reversal in disposition of parts so that the car end will be symmetrical relative to a medial longitudinal plane through the car. Further, in .the structure from which these drawings were made the car end was formed 01 plates, one disposed ,above the 0th their adjacent edges overlapping and riveted to-' gether following conventional practices in this respect. Further following conventional practices, the upper Plate was provided with an iny on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of edge view looking at the Fig. 1 from the right hand er and .wlth 1 shifting loads in the tegral posts. The

turned roof engaging flange as well as corner flanges. In general it is to be understood that the invention herein disclosed is applicable to conventional car end and side panel constructions which heretofore have used a different form of corrugation arrangement.

Referring to the drawings there are disclosed a substantially flat sheet metal plate or panel 10 having inturned side flanges 11 and an outlining flat uncorrugated edge portion 12 and which flanges 11 and flat edge portion 12 are usually perforated to form bolt or rivet holes by means of which the panels are secured to adjacent structural parts of the car.

Within the outlining flat edge area 12 the plate is provided with two sets of corrugations to form a central reinforced area to the panel as a whole. One set of corrugations 13 extends horizontally in parallel relation and are substantially equidistantly spaced apart vertically to form integral girders. The other set of corrugations 14 extend vertically in substantially equidistantly spaced apart horizontal relation to form upstanding ingirder forming corrugations are relatively much wider than the post forming corrugations 14. each other at right angles to form an elongated block-like or checker-board design over the entire reinforced area. It will be seen from Fig; 3 that the trough or channel 15 of the girder forming corrugations 13 is continuous across the entire reinforced area and in this case is straight from end to end. By reference to Fig. 'I it will be noted that the trough or channel 16 not straight being of undulatory-form.

One of the features of novelty in this disclosure is that the post forming corrugations 14 are continuous and project outwardly not only from the flat, uncorrugated portion of theplate as shown at 17, Fig. 2, but extend up the sides of, pass over and project beyond the corrugations 13 as shown at 18, Fig. 2. This means, of course, that a transverse cross section taken through a corrugation 14 at any point along its length will show the U-shaped or substantially U-shaped configuration shown at 19 in Figs. -3 and 4, even though the post consideredlongitudinally in side elevation is of the wavy form shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 'l. The post extends over the girder forming corrugations 13 and alongthe trough of uncorrugated space 20 formed between adjacent pairs of the girder forming corrugations 13. The girder forming corrugations 13 are of maximum beam depth, that is, have their maximum horizontal offset at their midlength to provide maximum strength at the longitudinal medial plane of the car and progressively decrease in depth from their centers towards their opposite ends as shown in the right half in Figs. 3 and 4. Maximum strength to resist bending of the car end is of greatest importance at the center of the car car but this necessity rapidly diminishes towards the vertical edges of the car end. At their ends the girders merge at a sharp angle into the unreinforced vertical marginal portion shown at 12 in Figs. rand 4.

The sections shown in Figs.- 3 and 4 show that the plate cannot be bent about any vertically extending axis because such bending would be resisted by the horizontally extending corrugations 13. Similarly, the vertical sections shown in Figs. 6 and 7 show that the plate cannot be bent about any horizontally extending axis as any These corrugations intersect of the post forming corrugation 14 is likewise continuous from end to end across the reinforced area but, of course, is.

to resist strains from formed by the such bending would be resisted by the vertically extending corrugations 14. It will be likewise apparent that bending of the plate cannot take place about any inclined axis for such bendings would be resisted by both the vertical and horizontally extending corrugations. It will be seen that no line can be drawn through the reinforced area which would indicate an axis of bend, because any such line will be intersected by the corrugations of one or the other sets, or by both sets of corrugations. e

As the plate or panel can be formed by simple die-stamping operation it is possible to provide end or similar strucmore superposed sections, following the 'usual practice of having adjacent edges lapping and riveted. together, the vertical posts herein featured will also in such case be continuous across the lap joint.

While the invention has been specifically described with reference to a car side panel or end section it is obvious that the same scheme of internal corrugated reinforcements may be employed with other sectional units such for instance as a pressed steel door, as a side door for box cars. and as bottom drop doors for gondola cars.

While there has been shown, described and pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissionssubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the structure illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: I 1

1. A sheet metal structural unit having a reinforced area formed of a. set of vertically extending corrugations forming integral posts and a set of horizontally extending corrugations forming integral girders, the corrugations of oneset intersecting the corrugations of the other set a the posts and being substantially flat at their crown portions, the corrugations forming the posts being substantially flat at their crown portions, and each post forming corrugation having the same cross sectional form at any place along its length and projecting beyond the girder forming corrugations at their intersecting areas.

2. A sheet metal structural unit having a rein'forced area formed of a set of vertically extending corrugations forming integral spaced apart posts and a set of horizontally extending spaced apart integral girders with the posts and girders mutually intersecting each other, each of the posts forming corrugations extending in a vertical plane from edge to edge of the; reinforced area andextending continuously in said plane tortuously following the, undulations horizontally extending girder forming corrugations and projecting beyond'the girders at their intersecting areas and said posts at said intersecting areas having the same cross sectional configuration as they possess on opposite sides of said intersecting 'areas.

- 3. A sheet metal panel, said panel provided 76 set extending at an angle to the corrugations of with a set of vertically spaced horizontally extending corrugations constituting integral girders and a set of horizontally spaced vertically extending corrugations constituting integral posts with the posts and girders extending continuously across each other without change of cross sectional configuration and each corrugation having substantially the same depth where it intersects another corrugation as it.has on opposite sides of said other corrugation.

4. A substantially flat sheet metal panel, having a; flat outlining edge area, said panel within the flat outlining area with intersecting corrugations forming a reinforced center area of checkerboard design, said corrugations extending transversely of the plane ,of the panel and in the same direction from said flat area and the trough of each corrugation extending without interruption continuously from end to end, one of said corrugations extending continuously over another corrugation substantially without change of crosssectional configuration and at the point of intersection the overlapping corrugation projecting a greater distance from the flat area than does the overlapped corrugation.

' 5. A car end comprising a corrugated sheet metal panel, the corrugations forming vertically extending posts and horizontally extending girders, with the posts extending tortuously and without change in cross sectional configuration over the girders.

6. A sheet metal panel provided with means forming a plane of reference, corrugations all projecting from one side of said plane and'with certain of the corrugations extending at right angles to other corrugations to form in eifect a cormgated area of checkerboard design, the corrugations extending in one direetion'being offset from said plane a distance greater than the corrugations extending in the other direction, the trough of each corrugation being of substantially uniform cross section at all points along its length extending continuously from edge to edge of said area, and with the corrugations which extend in one direction having a lengthwise contom' corresponding to the outline in cross section through the other corrugations taken 'on a plane parallel to said direction. J x

7. .A sheet metal panel provided with corrugations all projecting from one side and with certain of the corrugations extending at right angles to other corrugations and each without change in configuration to form in eilect a corrugated area of checkerboard design, the opposing walls forming the trough of each of said other corrugations extending continuously and in undulatory form from edge to edge of said area.

8. A sheet metal panel having a flat, unreinforced area and a substantially flat reinforced area within the outlines of said flat, unreinforced area and formed with corrugations extending in two sets, with the corrugations of one set extending at an angle to the corrugations of the other set and intersecting each other without change of cross sectional configuration to form the area as a checkerboard design, with the corrugations -of one set overlapping the corrugations of the other set and projecting further from the plane of the flat unreinforced area than do the corrugations of the other set, each overlapping corrugation having the same cross sectional configuration at any place along its length.

9. A sheet metal panel having a substantially flat reinforced area formed with corrugations extending in two sets, with the corrugationsof one the other set and intersecting each otherto form the area as a checkerboard design, with the corrugations of one set overlapping and thus extending with uniform cross sectional configuration beyond the corrugations of the other. set.

10. A sheet metal gations substantially U-shaped in cross section throughout their lengths and forming a reinforced area, with one of the corrugations intersecting two other parallel corrugations, the first named provided corrugation being continuous and projecting in offset relation and with uniformity of contour in oflset relation considered perpendicular to the plane of the panel and extending for its full depth in oil'set relation beyond the two parallel corrugations and beyond the intervening trough between the parallel corrugations.

11. A single sheet of metal area, said area formed in part of a pair of intersecting corrugations projecting from one side of the sheet, with the part of the sheet forming one of the corrugations extending completely, continuously and with uniform cross section configuration over the other.

12. A car end including a sheet metal panel having a corrugated reinforced area, with the corrugations extending in sets of more than two to each set and at right angles to each other and the metal forming the trough of each corrugation of one set being continuous from end to end, the corrugations of said set-being of similar cross sectional form from end to end and overlapping the corrugations of the other set, and said reinforced area having an undulatory form along a cross section through the panel and taken longitudinally through anyone of the overlapping corrugations of said set. a

13. A sheet metal panel provided with a substantially flat marginal portion and a reinforced area within the outlines of the flat marginal portion, a plurality of integral upstanding posts and the girders and posts intersecting each other and coacting to form the reinforced area, said posts extending continuously with uniform cross sectional configuration across the entire reinforced having a reinforced.

integral horizontally extending girders with panel provided with corruarea and overlapping the girders and said girdstantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section at every point in their lengths and forming posts spaced from the vertical flat edge portion and also including a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending ribs forming horizontal girders having substantially flat crowns at their ridges and troughs with inclined walls connecting the flat crowns and forming a, continuously undulatory lengthwise form, and said girders having their ends projecting beyond the outermost post and merging into the vertical flat portion. 15. A sheet 'metal panel provided with a set of corrugations running in one direction and. with each corrugation of the set having a similar cross sectional configuration, and a set of corrugations of a different cross sectional form from the first named set and intersecting the corrugations of the first set without change of configuration at the intersection, said intersecting corrugations coacting to form a reinforced area,

any cross section taken at right'angles through one of the sets forming a substantially continuously undulatory line and any similar cross section taken through the other set forming spaced apart U-shaped lines with straight lines connecting the U-shaped lines. a

16. A sheet metal panel provided with intersecting corrugations forming a reinforced area, the trough of each corrugation being continuous across the reinforced area, every cross section or the reinforced area being of undulatory form to resist binding strains about the same, and each corrugation at all points of its intersection with another corrugation having substantially the same depth as the immediately adjacent portions of said corrugations 17. A sheet metal panel provided with a pair of intersecting corrugations and-with one projecting beyond and completely overlapping the other without change at taining a continuously uniform depth to all parts of the overlapping corrugatiom 18. A sheet metal panel adapted to form a corner portion of a car end and including a vertical and an adjacent horizontal flat marginal edge portion, intersecting corrugations within the edge portion to reinforce the panel as a whole, said corrugations including two vertically extending and horizontally spaced apart ribs, substantially U-shaped in horizontal cross section at every point in their lengths and iorming posts spaced from the vertical flat edge portion and also including a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending ribs forming horizontal girders having substantially flat crowns at their ridges and troughs with inclined walls connecting configuration and main-- the fiat crowns and forming a continuously un- 20 dulatory legthwise iform.

ALEXANDER W. FRASER. 

